Sibu Town and the Aup River, 1959.

Opening of Third Division United Hawkers Association ?1958. Firecrackers hanging down from the roof. Tony Shaw (wearing black specs), the Resident, opens the building. To help with the cost of running the Association, the ground floor is let out as a restaurant.

Baram Riverside quays and wharfs. Norwegian ship (the Hervar) come from Hong Kong. Chinese launches. Channel Road. View from top deck of the Sinabang, a Dutch ship. Note width of river 60 miles from its mouth.

Outside of the Sibu market then the inside.

Sibu Regatta June 1959. Swimmers catching ducks thrown into the river. The greasy pole. The District Office boat (including my staff members Michael Pilo, Paul Chieng, Simon Lao and Bolhassan). 

Bunty helped off a boat by Mike Foster, the Resident. Penghulu Andeng, from Sarikei, in uniform. 

Temonggong Jugah looking through glasses. 

Long house on far bank of river. District Officer’s team boat. 

Iban boats with a leader holding up a flag. 

Bunty pregnant in white dress. 

Lily's Swee Ling giving away the prizes. T.K. Abang Louis. Mike Foster, H.E. Sir Anthony Abell (blue shirt and specs).

Opening the Wharf Labourers’s Union building. The long firecracker is lit and eventually it opens out into a message.

On our amahs, Nuyab (a Land Dayak) and Masseneh (a Melanau) near Masseneh’s house in Kampung Baharu during visit by the Duke of Edinburgh. A very rare sight is the Itot, a rather dangerous Melanau traditional game. The Kampung Nangka arch with Nuyab and Messinah (blue blouse) nearby. Sg. Merah arch.

Prophet’s birthday procession in Sept 59, first time that women took part!

1959 in the Aup, a tributary of the Igan near Sibu. In the boat gongs, Penghulus Nanta and Pengabang. 

Iban girls in traditional festive dress. 

The Sultan of Pahang (the tall man in white shirt and black trousers) visiting Sibu on way back to Malaya from Brunei, Dato Tuanku Bujang in white shirt and black songkok on his head. 

Up to Iban longhouse beside the Aup River. 

The Sultan's 2nd wife and her sister.

Inside the house a ‘pirieng’ ceremony and dancing. 

Taking a photo. 

Return to launch with Bunty in pink, Joy Lascelles, the royal ladies on return to the Igan.

Sunset over the Igan River near Sibu.

About Ian Urquhart

Ian Urquhart was a decorated British soldier, posted to Sarawak, where he served from 1947 to 1965. A brilliant linguist with an abiding interest in learning about other people and their cultures, he was a natural fit to be a civil service officer.

In addition to his administrative duties, he studied the indigenous communities he encountered focusing on their varied languages. From 1951 to 1959, Ian published several articles published by the Sarawak Museum Journal.

It was during this period that he conducted many trips into the jungles of Sarawak, in particular the Kelabit highlands and the Ulu Baram. From 1957 his wife Bunty accompanied him and contributed to some of the filming. 

It was these trips that he documented on Silent Standard/Regular 8mm colour and b/w cinefilm leaving his family and the people of Sarawak with not only a detailed account of his life there, he annotated all 30 reels, 23 of which are available in this collection.